Football: Neymar's stunning PSG 'polite and punctual' payday

Paris Saint-Germain's Neymar. Photo / AP

Brazilian football star Neymar is paid almost $11m a year by French club Paris Saint-Germain for being 'punctual' and 'friendly', according to a report.

According to Spanish newspaper El Mundo, Neymar earned NZ$71.8 million per year for his first five seasons for the French club after joining from Spanish giants Barcelona for a record transfer fee of NZ$384m in 2017.

According to the report, Neymar is paid an ethics bonus of €541,680 (NZ$904k) per month (NZ$10.8m per year) for being "polite, punctual, friendly and available to the fans".

He also can't criticise the club's tactical decisions on the field, the report said.

In May, Neymar signed a contract extension with PSG through to 2025 and includes massive bonuses.

According to Forbes magazine, Neymar is the sixth highest paid athlete in the world with total earnings of around US$95m in the last year. US$19m of that is from endorsements from the likes of Puma, Epic Games, Qatar Airways and Red Bull.

In May, Nike confirmed it ended its sponsorship agreement with Neymar after he refused to collaborate in an investigation into an accusation that he sexually assaulted a female employee from the company years ago.

Neymar called Nike's claims "an absurd lie."